Ethel D. Andersen

Profile

Ethel Andersen has focused her law practice on estate planning and probate since she and her husband, Tom, founded the firm in 1988. Many of her estate planning clients have complex estates and complex family issues, and she enjoys working with them to come up with plans that are tax efficient and protective and fair to family members with different and sometimes competing interests. Frequently her clients are grappling with the recent death or disability of a close family member or with the recent evidence of a close family member’s dysfunction. Ethel listens carefully and clearly explains options to her clients and guides them in selecting the most appropriate strategy for the situation. Probate can seem daunting when someone has lost a family member, and Ethel helps simplify the probate process and helps clients settle estates as expeditiously as possible.

Ethel has spoken at various times at estate planning seminars sponsored by the fiduciary law section of the Georgia Bar Association. She holds an “AV preeminent” rating by the Martindale-Hubble National Legal Directory, which is the highest designation given for both lawyer competence and integrity.

After receiving her undergraduate degree from Duke University, Ethel taught social studies in public school for one year in her hometown, Perry, Georgia. She then attended law school at the University of Georgia and received her Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law. She began her career as a lawyer at Troutman Sanders. Later she served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia and also as an Administrative Law Judge. Her background in litigation, corporate law and real estate law have been helpful in her estate planning and probate practice.

Ethel is very involved in the Gwinnett community and was the recipient of the 2012 Anna Shackelford Legacy Award given by United Way for her outstanding community service. In 2018, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce named her co-citizen of the year with her husband, Tom. She and Tom have two grown sons, both of whom live in Atlanta.